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He stood before us, hands on his hips. Nikolaï narrowed his eyes and mimicked my son’s stance, placing his hands on his hips too—his shirt pulling tight across his muscular arms.

“I thought we had a deal. Did you forget ?” he asked, his gaze never leaving Rafael.

Rafael’s defiant stance vanished as he blinked, clearly remembering their earlier agreement.

He was just about to respond when heavy footsteps pounded down the stairs. We all turned toward the doorway.

Sasha appeared—his eyes blazing, his jaw clenched tight.

“Where is she ?” he demanded, and the fury in his voice sent a shiver through me. His gaze locked onto mine, cold and sharp. Nikolaï stepped between us, placing a firm hand against his brother’s chest.

“What’s going on,moybrat ?” he asked, voice low and dangerous.

“What’s going on is that Sienna is gone ! And you know where she is !” Sasha snapped, his glare fixed on me.

“I don’t understand. She told me she was going to inform you before leaving,” I said, startled. I remembered her words earlier at the entrance—how she had to meet a contact in the city, how there’d be consequences if she didn’t go. I had insisted she refuse, but when I saw the fear in her eyes, I hadn’t pushed her further—on the condition she inform Nikolaï.

“She did inform us. And we said no,” Sasha bit out. “When I went upstairs to bring her food because she wasn’t feeling well, she was already gone.”

My mouth dropped open in shock.

“She pulled a trick on you,” I muttered, I pressed my lips together, avoiding their eyes.

“A trick ? What do you mean? I don’t get it…”

“Shit, she played me,” Sasha muttered. “She pretended to be sick so she could run off.”

He turned away, hands locked behind his neck. The tension radiating from him was palpable.

“Do you know where she went? She could be in danger, Selina.” his voice was quiet now, but it carried the weight of a real threat.

I hesitated… until I met Nikolaï’s gaze. It was calm. Grounding.

“No. She said she had a meeting with her contact in the city. That’s all I know,” I said truthfully.

Now, I was truly afraid for my sister.

Sasha nodded once, then moved toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Nikolaï asked as his brother passed.

Sasha paused at the threshold. “To findmalen’kayagadyuka,” he muttered, then strode out without another word.

Oh, Sienna…

What have you done?

Chapter twelve

Selina

The rain pounds against the large bay windows of the living room as I pace restlessly since Sasha’s departure. Night has fallen, and Nikolaï and I have put the children to bed. I sigh, stopping once more in front of the window overlooking the garden. The shadows of the tall bay trees and other foliage dance across the pool’s surface.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure she’s fine. Sasha will find her soon,” Nikolaï says from the kitchen, holding a glass of water in one hand and my painkillers in the other, which he hands to me. I thank him and take the pill, gripping the glass tightly. The pain in my fingers has become secondary with everything happening—I had completely forgotten to take my medication, but Nikolaï hadn’t.

“What if something happened to her?” I ask in a small voice, my mind conjuring up the worst scenarios—blood, so much blood, just like eight years ago.

I enter the hotel room, breathing heavily, still dressed in my nurse’s uniform. The door closes softly behind me with a small click, signaling its lock. I glance down the dimly lit hallway leading to the suite’s living room, which is shrouded in darkness. There is no noise, only the distant sound of cars speeding along the road twenty-six floors below.